Venice attractions: what to see and do in autumn

September is one ofVenice’s busiest months, with all the razmatazz of Biennale events and new exhibition openings. By November, however, the city empties out, its alleyways echoing with the footsteps of locals and a smattering of out-of-season visitors.

In any season, Venice's churches and museums offer antique glories aplenty, but there is also a vibrant contemporary art scene, even away from the Art Biennale.

Exhibitions

Ca d’Oro Until January 11 2015

Taking place at the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti at the Ca 'd' Oro on August 30 and coinciding with the Venice International Film Festival, the exhibition DIVINE. Splendors of the Scene. Fantasy Jewellery from the Collection of Patrizia Re Rebaudengo, opens to the public cadoro.org

Expert hotel pick

A patrician Venetian home with a gorgeous garden, Palazzo Abadessa is the perfect haven for Venice aficionados and those keen to explore the city’s lesser-known areas.

Gallerie dell’Accademia

Visit the monumental estate of the Accademia Galleries which is located in the prestigious centre of the Scuola Grande of Santa Maria della Carità. A rich collection of Venetian paintings can be viewed, from the Bizantine and Gothic fourteenth century to the artists of the Renaissance gallerieaccademia.org

Everyone’s favourite eccentric art collector, the redoubtable Peggy assembled a remarkable yet still intensely personal portofolio of modernist and surrealist art, including major works by Picasso, Magritte, Max Ernst (her husband for a while), Giacometti and Jackson Pollock. Peggy’s 18th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal was never finished by the Venetian family that commissioned it. The gardens are lovely, the museum shop is the best in Venice, and the bar/cafè makes a good lunch or tea stop.

Its exhibition Continuity and Newness dedicated to Azimut/h sets out to reconstruct the fundamental role played by Azimuth/h. It will be available to view September 20 2014 - January 19 2015.(guggenheim-venice.it).

Expert hotel pick

The Centurion Palace hotel is a former monastery right on the Grand Canal with an ultra-modern interior and welcoming service and atmosphere.

Other events around Venice

La Biennale dell'Architettura June 7 - November 23

Whether it’s art (odd years) or architecture (even years) Venice’s Biennale provides one of the largest, and certainly the most picturesque backdrops for a massive display of all that’s most contemporary. For 2014, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas directs an edition entitled Fundamentals labiennale.org/it/Home

Le Giornate del Cinema Muto October 4-11

In Europe’s most prestigious silent-movie festival, highlights include an international forum of musicians for silent movies, retrospectives and films such as the British documentary The Battle of the Somme (1916). (cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm)

Sagra del Mosto

The annual festival taking place on the first Sunday of every October celebrates Saint Erasmus, the patron saint of sailors. Visitors can join Venetians on the island of Sant’Erasmo – the largest island in the Venetian lagoon – located just north east of Venice to indulge in a feast of the island’s best produce and other local specialities including wine, risotto, pasta and sausages (turismovenezia.it).

Venice marathon October 26

Follow 7,000 running enthusiasts on the epic trek starting at Stra, a small town west of Venice, charging through St Mark’s Square and across 14 bridges before heading toward the Grand Canal and culminating at Riva Sette Martiri in the Castello district (venicemarathon.it).

Expert hotel pick

The Locanda and Residenza Art Deco are sister establishments located in an area full of antique and fabric shops, and offer a range of regular and self-catering accommodation at surprisingly good prices for a spot just ten minutes’ walk from St Mark’s.

St Mark's Square

Festa della Madonna della Salute November 21

Residents come together for a procession across a pontoon bridge set up between Santa Maria del Giglio to Salute church in remembrance of the plague that struck Venice in 1630, taking the lives of 100,000 people. The march is meant to express thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for those that survived, asking her to keep them in good health each year. Castradina, a mutton and cabbage stew, is the traditional dish eaten on the day of the procession.